Students in Alva Rogers' WRITING HEARING PICTURES program learn about the vital importance of their memories. They study how their five senses work in conjunction with one another, and are trained in self-awareness as well as tolerance for others. The children explore and present their memories and thoughts through writing and drawing assignments designed to help transform abstract thoughts and concepts into visual images.

Alva's unique program incorporates many different types of art experience in a cohesive and carefully woven structure. Students learn how to draw accurately, listen to music insightfully, and write creatively. Alva leads them in discussion of why humans engage in aesthetic pursuits, and what our creative work communicates about us to others. Students reflect on their personal histories and experiences and use this information in a series of guided drawing, listening, writing, and public speaking assignments aimed at increasing their self-confidence and artistic literacy. WRITING HEARING PICTURES concludes with an assembly where students present their finished projects. Classmates gather with their peers, teachers, school administrators and families to read their work aloud, discuss their visual art, and celebrate each other's accomplishments.

WRITING HEARING PICTURES with ALVA ROGERS is a 12-week Workshop with ten 90-minute classroom sessions, preceded by one planning meeting and followed by one assessment meeting. Sketchbooks and markers are provided for each student.

Courtesy of the artist.

Alva Rogers is an award-winning artist who works as a composer, performer, and playwright. She incorporates techniques of creative writing and performance into her unique elementary school curriculum. She is the recipient of grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, The Jim Henson Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, and Meet the Composer. The Joseph Papp Public Theater, Spoleto Festival USA, The Kitchen, Dixon Place and Heather Henson's Handmade Puppet Films have commissioned her work, and her readings and productions have been presented by the aforementioned theaters as well as HERE, Actor's Express Theater, New Georges, The Women's Project, Trinity Repertory Theater, Seattle Repertory Theater, The Walker Art Center, P.S. 122, The New Museum, Pillsbury House Theater, The O'Neill Puppetry Conference, and the American Museum of Natural History. She has collaborated with important artists including Heather Henson, Lisa Jones, Whitfield Lovell, Butch Morris, Vernon Reid, Elliot Sharp, Lorna Simpson, Urban Bush Women, Kara Walker, and Fred Wilson.